The Texas Tech alum went from a three-shot leader to a finisher outside the top-five at The Players Championship.
It was an excruciating finish for Texas Tech great Ludvig Åberg at The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
The Swedish ranked No. 21 in the PGA Tour rankings entered the final round at TPC Sawgrass as a three-stroke leader at 13-under par. He carried that lead through the first nine holes of Sunday's final round.
Then disaster struck for the seemingly unshakeable prodigy.
Åberg finished tied for fifth after shooting a 40 on the back nine Sunday for a 4-over 76. He ended the tournament 9-under par after rounds of 69, 63, 71 and 76 (279 total).
As PGA writer Paul Hodowanic put it, Åberg's back-nine collapse was "a painful reminder of how hard it is to win."
"It got away from me quick there," Åberg said after the round. "Yeah, it was just poor swings."
Hole No. 11 - the same one Åberg eagled a day earlier - was where things went downhill on Sunday. His approach shot from the fairway found the water, then he two-putted for bogey after a drop.
On No. 12, the unravel lengthened in a hurry after driving the tee shot into the water and dropping two strokes with a double-bogey.
"I definitely felt a little bit fast at times," Åberg said. "I would imagine if I look at those swings on sort of 11, 12, they probably were quick swings. Takeaway got really fast and then the rest of it kind of spirals from there. That's something that I should have been aware of, now looking back. But yeah, that's the way it goes."
American Cameron Young took home the title after he birdied the 17th hole to tie his playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick. Young finished 13-under-par (275) for the weekend after parring the 18th hole, while Fitzpatrick's drive found the trees and led to a bogie and a second-place finish.
Åberg, the 29-year-old "robot" who's kidded on Tour for his composed demeanor and flawless swing mechanics, proved just how brutal the game can be.
In what was his most significant opportunity for a third Tour victory, two devastating holes wiped away the lead he'd maintained for over a round and a half, and the chance to officially enter the world's upper echelon by winning golf's "fifth major" was gone.
"His redemption story will come down the line. Åberg is too good for it not to," Hodowanic said. "On Sunday, though, Åberg choked."
